elastin/trichrome combo

Dear Histonetters,
I have been following the conversation regarding the request for an
elastin/trichrome for the staining of arteries. My clients as well have
asked for this combination and like another fellow tech has done, I did an
combination of Verhoeff's elastin and Masson's trichrome earlier this
summer and thought I had a new stain. The stain is very pretty. The
elastin fibers are a vivid black and practically jump off the slide. The
muscle stains red and the collagen will be blue or green, depending on what
the client prefers. Mine all prefer the light green. I did not stain the
nuclei.
The main reason for the request for this combination is that the clients
can observe both the elastin fibers and the muscle/collagen in one slide
versus first looking at an elastin section and then placing a second
section on the scope to observe the muscle/collagen. They can also do the
histomorphometry on the elastin fibers that are being displaced by the stents.
I am in the process of getting the article that was cited so that I can
incorporate the reference in my SOP manual.
Regards,
Cathy
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A GLP compliant laboratory
Cathy A. Mayton
Wasatch Histo Consultants, Inc.
www.wasatchhisto.com